Asia Pacific|Rebuilding of Nepali Homes Hit by Quakes Is Still Delayed, Official Says

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Rebuilding of Nepali Homes Hit by Quakes Is Still Delayed, Official Says

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Reconstruction of houses devastated in last April’s earthquakes in Nepal is now set to begin this April. Problems in naming members to a reconstruction authority were blamed for the delay.CreditCreditDaniel Berehulak for The New York Times

By Bhadra Sharma and Nida Najar

Jan. 12, 2016

KATHMANDU, Nepal — The reconstruction of houses destroyed in Nepal’s devastating earthquakes last year will not begin until April, a year after the first tremors hit, the newly appointed head of Nepal’s Reconstruction Authority has said.

Preliminary government estimates suggest that around 570,000 homes were destroyed by the earthquakes, and nearly 270,000 badly damaged. Unicef, using data from various sources, estimates that 2.8 million people were affected, and that tens of thousands are braving the winter in temporary shelters.

Nearly 9,000 people died in the earthquakes.

Sushil Gyewali, the new chief executive of the Nepal Reconstruction Authority, attributed the delay to snags in naming members to the authority.

Staffing was completed last week, he said, noting that he was appointed only on Dec. 26, around eight months after the quakes struck.

Mr. Gyewali replaced Govind Raj Pokharel, who was appointed chief executive of the authority in August but was never approved by Parliament. A new government was elected in October, and the new prime minister, K. P. Sharma Oli, then appointed Mr. Gyewali.

The government expects to open a public awareness campaign about the reconstruction on Saturday, beginning by laying the foundation of a heritage site in Kathmandu and a settlement in Lalitpur, south of the capital. Rebuilding of homes damaged by the quakes would begin April 24, Mr. Gyewali said.

Top officials have been occupied with a series of political crises in recent months. In September, they rushed to adopt a new Constitution, a process that had dragged on for years.

Almost immediately after its adoption, the country was hit with severe fuel shortages that Nepali politicians attributed to an unofficial Indian blockade in protest of the new Constitution. India, however, maintained that fuel trucks could not pass through the border because of internal Nepali protests over the new charter.

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Houses, damaged in April during earthquakes in Bhaktapur, Nepal, were still in disrepair last month. Preliminary government estimates suggest that around 570,000 homes were destroyed and nearly 270,000 badly damaged.CreditNavesh Chitrakar/Reuters

The government is facing increasing pressure from international donors, who have pledged more than $4 billion toward the reconstruction and who are becoming anxious over the delays. Last month, the government passed a long-awaited law to clear the way for rebuilding.

The government, which has allocated nearly $700 million for the reconstruction, has so far distributed about $140 in immediate cash relief and around $95 for emergency relief materials to each needy household. It has promised more than $1,800 for each home that needs to be rebuilt and has offered subsidized loans to complete construction.

Obtaining construction materials has been difficult because of the fuel shortages.

The government will also have to train builders in earthquake-resistant techniques, and determine which houses qualify for reconstruction aid.

Inundated by a recent rise in claims, the government has said it will deploy engineers to the earthquake zones to determine which houses need to be rebuilt. That assessment, Mr. Gyewali said, will be completed in the next two and a half months.

Bhadra Sharma reported from Kathmandu, and Nida Najar from New Delhi.

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A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: Nepal’s Rebuilding to Start a Year After Earthquakes. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe